Summary: She's done it! The jewel is finally complete and she can put fighting demons in the past as last! With a sigh of relief, she turns her focus to her future. Able to resume her school life, she somehow gets dragged into the world of "S" by classmate and new friend, Reki. Meanwhile, Kojiro is forced to realize that his baby sister isn't a baby anymore.

Pairing: Undecided

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Note:
Jewel is still around, but it's dormant.

Chapter One

The only downside she could figure from going forward in this path was that she was no longer in the same class with her friends as she had been all throughout middle school. She found her class easily enough, pausing outside the door and glancing up at the number over the room to be certain she'd walked to the right door. Due to having to stop by the office before the school day started, she was a bit late getting to class. By now the halls were all empty.

She lifted a hand and gently knocked on the door. A few seconds went by before it was open from the inside, and she found herself looking up at a man. He looked at her for a second or two before realization flashed through his eyes.

"Oh, you must be Higurashi-san, correct?" he asked, and she nodded with a smile appearing on her face.

He nodded. "So glad to hear your health has taken a turn for the best," he said. "Your marks are quite impressive despite your previous inability to attend class."

Her smile widened a bit, and she nodded in thanks. Despite not being able to attend class due to, what they had been told, was extensive illnesses, she still had to do the work to make sure she wouldn't fall behind before she could even start to attend the school.

"Please," he said, moving back a bit to give her some room to enter behind him. Once she stepped into the room, the door closed behind her and he made his way to the chalkboard in the front of the room. He wrote her name down before returning to his podium a few paces away, and he waved her to take the place he'd been in moments ago. With a faint hum, she did as requested, blue eyes taking in the figures all looking at her with varying degrees of intrigue.

"Today we have a new face joining us," the teacher began. "She's been unable to attend school due to prior health conditions, but she's finally able to join us." He looked at her and nodded. "Now, how about you introduce yourself to the class?"

Her eyes widened at the suggestion, and she let out a low hum as she turned back to the figures looking at her expectantly.

"O-Oh, well…" she trailed off, trying to think of what she could say. She'd never been in a position like this. "My name is Higurashi Kagome, but feel free to call me Kagome," she began, trailing off thoughtfully. "I… I'm really skilled at cooking and archery." She tapped her chin a few times before lowering her hand completely, cupping it behind her back with her other one. "It's nice to be able to join all of you!"

Following those words, she was pointed to her seat. It was an empty one in front of a boy with vibrant red hair. He seemed distracted with something in his notebook. She went to her seat, peering curiously at his open notebook as she did so, watching for only a second or two as he sat drawing something.

Swallowing her curiosity, she turned her focus to the front of the room so as to not get in trouble.

During break, she was surprised when two different people abruptly lunged at her desk, both wearing smiles she could see through even without her senses. The girl on the right had long, wavy brown hair and green eyes, while the girl on the left had short, cropped auburn hair and green eyes.

Those were the smiles of people who wanted something…

She arched a brow, tilting her head to the side as she held off on getting up to go find her friends in the school's courtyard as they had planned on the way to school that morning. "Did you two need something?" she asked, her tone sweet as she played oblivious. The one on the right nodded instantly.

"This morning, you said that you were good at archery, right?" she asked, and when Kagome nodded, stars lit up her eyes and she let out a mild squeal. "Oh great! My name's Konoko, and I'm in the women's archery club." Without waiting for a single word of response from Kagome, she shoved a flyer right into her face. "Please stop by our meeting spot after school and join our club! We're always on the lookout for skilled members!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Konoko-chan, I saw her before you did!" The girl beside her glared at her, and she was quick to return it by sticking out her tongue. She looked back at Kagome and smiled, as if she hadn't been one to witness her irritation at the other girl standing beside her. "I'm Kotone, by the way," he said. Without warning, she yanked the flyer away from her and crumbled it behind her back, replacing it with a different one. "Please ignore my sister," she said, and Konoko seethed at her turned back. "Consider joining the cooking club, instead," she said, winking her way.

"I…- I uh…" Kagome trailed off, looking down at her desk as they resumed glaring at each other.

"Say you'll join!" Konoko, the brunette, implored with a sparkle in her eyes. "So? So? What do you say?"

"Oh, back off!" Kotone snapped at her sister, jutting her hip out to bump her away a few paces. "Sheesh you do this all the time. It's so annoying!"

"You're so annoying!" Konoko growled back, placing both hands on her hips as she seethed at the other girl, her eyes narrowed.

Kagome was starting to feel really uncomfortable as she sat, two feet away from where they were beginning to argue. She looked between the pair as discomfort grew into a worse feeling. She needed a way out, and boy did she need it fast.

She turned in her desk, looking for anything that might get her out of their dispute. As she did, her gaze landed on the boy that sat behind her. He was looking at the two with a very confused expression on his face, nose scrunched up as they kept bickering back and forth. She didn't know him, but she needed a savior right then and there, and, well…. he was right there.

"Hey!" she exclaimed loud enough to be heard over the two girls. "You said you were gonna help me get used to the school earlier, right?" she asked him, watching as amber eyes became awash in confusion.

"What? I don't remember saying-!"

"Let's go then!" she exclaimed, cutting him off before he could ruin her escape attempt before it got the chance to bloom to fruition. She took his hand and tugged him up onto his feet, turning to face the girls a second later. "Sorry, but I have prior plans to keep," she said, unapologetically shoving past them and dragging the beyond puzzled redheaded boy behind her. He silently followed, faint sounds of utter confusion coming from him as she waved at the two girls. "I'll get back to you on your offers after I've had the chance to consider them a bit!"

Without waiting for their responses, she abruptly darted from the room, dragging the boy along with her as the rest of the figures present in the classroom were left to observe.

Kagome let out a sigh of relief as she walked down the halls. It felt better to be out of that situation, that was for sure. She rounded another corner, heading for the staircase when a noise from behind her caught her attention. It was then she realized she was still holding onto the stranger's hand, and she all but froze.

Kagome turned to face him, quickly letting go of his hand with a flush of pink staining her sun-kissed cheeks. She kept her attention level at her feet, hands gripping the hem of her uniform blazer as she stammered out an apology, and thanks. "I… I- I um… thanks," she said, her tone soft and bashful. "S-Sorry about dragging you up and out of your seat like that… I just… needed an out, and you were, like, right there. I hope you-"

"Nah, it's fine," he responded, cutting her off before her rambling apology could get too long. She looked up from under her bangs, embarrassed blue clashing against friendly gold, and she felt heat stain her cheeks as he smiled at her. "Those two are always like that," he said, laughing. "They can get pretty annoying when it comes to their arguing."

Kagome smiled and nodded, lifting a hand and covering her mouth as she giggled softly. "I- I guess that's why everyone looked so used to it when it started," she said, and he laughed again as he nodded. She met his gaze and held a hand out for him to take, which he instantly did, grinning at her. "I'm Kagome," she said, "in case you might've forgotten already."

"Kyan Reki!" he responded, gripping her hand tightly. "Oh! And welcome and everything," he said, as if it was an afterthought, and she laughed through her nose. "Besides being fought over, how are ya' liking this place?" he asked, and she hummed softly, thinking his question over.

"I like it, definitely," she responded. "It's nice… being able to be back in a place like this…." she said, lifting a hand and brushing a lock of her hair back behind her ear. "I'm really glad I'm able to attend school like normal again." She felt his gaze on her, and she looked up with a faint flush of pink on her face. She shook her head, forcing a laugh to brush off the unusual sounding words she'd just uttered out loud. "Ignore that," she said. She looked at his notebook, which he'd just barely managed to grab as she yanked him from the room, and she nodded towards it. "You were drawing before I interrupted you, right?" she asked, and when he nodded, she tilted her head to the side. "Is it okay if I take a look?"

His eyes took on a radiant shine the second she asked that question, and she stumbled back a step or two in surprise when he looked at her so eagerly. He followed with a step forward, nodding and whipping his notebook up in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah!" he exclaimed, and she felt a smile reappear on her face at his apparent excitement. She couldn't find it in her to change her mind, even if she wanted to deep down, and she retraced her step to stand beside him, curiously peering into his notebook to gaze upon the drawings. Admittedly, the moment she looked at them, she drew a blank.

Curious, she tore her gaze away from the scrambled words and pencil shaded doodles and tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. "You're really good at drawing," she complimented, and she felt the warmth that flooded his aura at her earnest compliment. "What's it all for?" she asked a moment later, and he met her gaze eagerly.

"Ya' really wanna talk about it?" he asked, and she nodded, a bright smile appearing on his face as she matched his enthusiasm. Sure, she might not get it, but if it made him happy, what was the harm? After all, she'd used him to get out of a bothersome situation earlier, so she felt like she owed him something in return.

"Sure!" she exclaimed, "if you don't mind, that is," she added on, and he took her by her wrist, shaking his head.

"Not at all!" he said. Without waiting, she was abruptly dragged to the staircase a few paces away from them, where the pair soon settled down on the bottom step. She settled down beside the railing as he sank down on her other side, sitting close enough their legs touched. Without missing a beat, he set the notebook he had down so it was open, resting it over their closely placed legs.

"So, do you know anything about skateboarding?" Reki asked, and Kagome tilted her head to the side before ultimately giving it a shake.

"Not really, no," she admitted. "I remember my older brother skated. He tried a few times to help me learn, but I gave up after falling too many times," she added with a faint laugh. "I was a major crybaby back then," she added.

He laughed, and she would've been offended if it wasn't so true. She giggled along with him, unable to help it. The sound of his laugh was infectious.

"I can teach you if you're interested," he offered, and she looked up from his notebook with widened eyes.

"Eh? You're serious?" she asked, and he nodded brightly in response. After a few seconds, she nodded. "Then sure," she said, her tone soft. "Just don't be surprised when you find out I'm a lost cause at it."

Reki laughed and shook his head. "No way!" he said. "I bet you'll be great," he said, sounding assured. "Anyone can learn if they try hard enough."

Kagome smiled and nodded. A second later, the pair were back to looking at his notebook. Her prior plans of meeting up with her girlfriends lay forgotten at hand as she listened to his excited tone, chiming in every now and again with a question when she found the right moment two.

That was how they were discovered by the three girls in question. They'd gone to her class to try and find her, only to find out she wasn't there. A bit more searching led them to the staircase, where they heard her voice. Curious, they all peered around the corner, spotting the familiar ravenette sitting and chatting with the redhead.

Feeling the weight of three separate gazes on her, Kagome slowly picked her head up, turning to face the trio lurking around the corner. She jolted, leaping up, much to Reki's surprise. He followed her with his gaze, soon enough looking at the three watching them.

"W-Why are you guys just watching us?!" Kagome exclaimed, a hand falling to rest over her rapidly beating heart.

Who does that?! Them, apparently!

She knew that she shouldn't be surprised. After all, she grew up with those three. She knew them well enough to know that this is exactly what they'd do.

"Well, you never came to join us like we planned," Yuka said, stepping into the space, folding her arms over her chest. A second later, a sly smile appeared on her face, and she glanced back to eye the other two. The three shared a like glance, and Kagome all but groaned.

She sighed and shook her head. "I'm really sorry," she said, completely ignoring the look they had on their faces. "One thing led to another, and I got totally distracted," she said, her shoulders slumping some.

"That's okay!" Ayumi said. She smiled at her, tapping a finger to her chin thoughtfully a second later. "Though… breaks almost up, so you two should get back to class before you guys are late."

"See you after school?" Eri asked, and Kagome nodded.

"Sure!"

As they left, stifling giggles on the way out, Kagome glared and arched a brow.

Oh, great… She didn't need even more of their nosy business, but she knew them enough to know what they were bound to be up to.

"They're so ridiculous…" she muttered to herself. Indeed they were, but they were also her best friends and she loved them. She shook her head and looked back at Reki. She held a hand out to help him up. "But they're right," she said with a smile. "We should get back to class before we're late."

The following day, Kagome woke up to a text from her new friend. She sat up in bed, grabbing her phone as she struggled to read the message with her bleary, sleepy eyes. She eventually figured out what it said, and a wave of confusion washed through her.

From: Reki
Hey, you free today? If so, wanna hang at the park in a few?

Kagome hummed, thinking it over before deciding to take him up on his offer. She sent her response and got up out of bed. As she did, she got another message from him, telling her when to meet up. With a nod, she went about her morning routine with his offer in mind.

000

"Eh?"

Confusion spiked in her as she looked down at the skateboard Reki was gloriously motioning to, a wide smile on his face as he did so. He perked up and looked at her, not one to miss her confused expression. "What is it?" he asked. She looked from the skateboard and back to his face, arching a brow.

"When you offered to teach me, I didn't expect to start so suddenly," she admitted, and he beamed at her, waving his hand in a flippant gesture.

"No time like the present, is there?" he responded, and she laughed faintly. He motioned back to the skateboard between them with a smile. "Go on, give it a shot."

"U-Um…. Okay," she said finally. She set her things down on the bench they met at, and he stepped out of the way to give her space. She cautiously set a foot on the board's surface, feeling it wobble slightly as her weight settled precariously on it. Uncertainty flooded her as she lifted her other foot.

The wind blew, and without warning, the skateboard beneath her feet moved, and she felt her balance get upset. She yelped, her weight falling backwards as the board moved forward. She landed sprawled out, her expression flat as a faint surge of pain spread through her. It was gone the second that followed, but her humiliation burned bright.

"Pfft…! Hahaha!"

She pushed herself up on the palms of her hands, whipping around to glare at the redhead who was now bent over, hands on his knees as he laughed hard enough for tears to form at the corners of his eyes. She bristled, irritated at his laughter, and pounced up onto her feet, hands tightened into fists at her side.

"What's so funny?!" she snapped at him. He laughed harder, and her cheeks flushed a darker pink.

"Y-Your face! You should've seen it!" he gasped between his laughs. "Oh, that was golden!" he exclaimed, his laughter steadily getting reeled under control. He lifted a hand, wiping a tear from his eye as he finally looked at her. Once he did, he paled at the sight of her agitated azure gaze. "K-Kagome?"

She pouted, folding her arms over her chest as she looked away. "Sheesh, so rude," she muttered, and she heard him snicker.

"Here, here try again," he said, moving the skateboard back over to her. "I won't laugh this time, promise."

She glared at him before looking down at the board. With a sigh, she complied and stepped back up to it.

She wasn't surprised when she fell yet again, but she was pleasantly surprised when he followed through with his promise and didn't laugh at her misery this time. Instead, he offered a hand and helped her back up.

"You okay?" he asked upon spotting her rubbing her sore head once she got up from the concrete. "You hit your head that time, didn't you?"

Kagome smiled and nodded. "I'm fine," she said. A second later she pulled her hand back, showing that she wasn't bleeding. Reki sighed in relief. This time she moved without having to need his encouragement, a faint sheen of determination flashing through her eyes as she once again tried to keep her balance on the skateboard.

Reki sat down on the bench beside their stuff, offering her a few words of encouragement as he watched her try once again.

"C'mon, Kagome! You'll get it in no time!"

Auroua-chan: This chapter takes place prior to the first episode of SK8. I think the first episode will come during the next chapter, at least partially.

I couldn't resist having that little bit at the end with Kagome testing out skateboarding. She's a bit clumsy, but her heart's in the right place. -of course Reki would laugh at her falling.- Seriously tho... Reki is too precious.
Her friends might be a bit annoying to her. They'll definitely be supporting her romance life 10,000% even if she doesn't want it, but what else is new with those three?

I'm so excited for Sesshoumaru to be introduced. It won't be long before he shows up.

For the pairing, I'm considering Langa/Kagome, or Langa/Kagome/Reki. Either way, I can see Kagome being a good match for Langa. (Also the idea of Cherry/Kaoru and Kagome being close literally just to annoy Joe/Kojiro is hilarious. Its way too good of a chance to pass up.)

Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

Please remember to Reivew&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~